


Paradise Lost

by HeavenSentHellspawn



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 3
Genre: F/M, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Not Ashamed, Michael Mando Though js, Not a Love Story, Vaas Is His Own Warning, enjoy, kind of a love story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23418904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavenSentHellspawn/pseuds/HeavenSentHellspawn
Summary: Ruby Kane, an 18-year-old girl from sunny California, goes on a vacation to Bangkok with her two friends and boyfriend when everything spirals out of control. Forced to abandon everything she knows, will she survive Rook Island or will it destroy her?
Relationships: Vaas Montenegro/Original Character(s), Vaas Montenegro/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	1. Notes

**Author's Note:**

> This has about an 18 minute reading time according to Grammarly. There is strong profanity in this, some more intense scenes, depictions of violence, and death. Enjoy :)

_Seest thou yon dreary Plain, forlorn and wilde,_

_The seat of desolation, voyd of light,_

_Save what the glimmering of these livid° flames_

_Casts pale and dreadful?_

_-Paradise Lost; The Seat of Desolation; I.180 -183_

Hi there, 

Yes, you.

Hi :) 

Author here, I just want to say that I am happy that you are checking out my story and I hope that you enjoy it. My update schedule might be a little screwed up and I don’t exactly know the market for this shit in all honesty, but I will try to update every week (at the very least) and I appreciate any kudos, suggestions, or comments you may have concerning my work (it's really encouraging to get feedback and I might update actually update quicker). It might get a little dark in here and so please be warned (although, I don’t think it’ll get too bad, but it’s Vaas who we’re talking about). I have a lot of ideas for this story and I hope you enjoy it. 

  
  


**A few notes before we get started:**

  * This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
  * Everything taken from Far Cry 3 belongs to Ubisoft and others.
  * This story will contain mature elements including, but not limited to, rape (more so _dubious consent_ ), graphic violence (nothing you wouldn’t find in FarCry 3), uncomfortable situations, profanity, drug use, and descriptions of toxic relationships.




	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Danny was right all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Grammarly, this is a ten-minute read and is over 2k words. There is only profanity and some violence in this chapter. Enjoy and feel free to leave kudos or feedback! :)

_“You shall not become corrupt,_

_You shall not become putrid,_

_You shall not become worms.”_

_\- Book of Dead_

  
The loud bass vibrated through every bone of my body and permeated my mind as I pressed my ass against my boyfriend. I felt drunk, but a part of me knew I wasn’t. Maybe it was second-hand smoke? Arms wrapped around my waist as I continued to dance to the music, my head nodding back into his chest as the several neon lights polluted my vision. I felt his breath near my ear. 

_Ruby_

_Ruby_

_Ruby_

_Are you okay?_

No, I’m not okay. 

The arms that were previously draped around me circled my arm and I felt myself being pulled off the dancefloor and forced to sit down. Vision blurred, two hands grabbed at my face and my boyfriend sat kneeled in front of me, “How many drinks did you have?” 

_Was he speaking to me?_

_Of course he’s talking to you, fucking dumb bitch._

“I only had,” A voice slurred out and it took me a few seconds to realize that I was the one talking, my voice foreign in my throat. Blasted, I held up two fingers, hoping Danny would get the point. I heard him sigh as he pulled me up and slung my arm around his shoulder to give me enough support to get me on my feet. My eyes wandered as we weaved in and out through crowds of people, a stupid smile on my face, “Where are we going, Danny? Dan Dan… haha… ha.” 

“We’re going to our room,” His voice echoed through my skull despite his quiet volume. I felt us stop and looked around, seeing Shiloh and Luke, our friends, “I’m taking her to our cabin, she’s not feeling very good.” 

“What happened?” Shiloh stood up, drink in hand as she looked at me, concern evident in her eyes. 

I stared at the ceiling, their words of concern fading in and out like a broken radio, but I wasn’t in the mind to care. What was happening to me? I’d only had two drinks and I was anything but a lightweight, that much I knew. Could I have been drugged? Dread filled my gut and dug through my veins, Danny won’t be too happy. He had been the most cautious and anxiety-struck about our plans to go on a week vacation on a big yacht with our two friends and 26 strangers. I’d managed to convince him otherwise, but now I didn’t want to hear those four fucking words. 

_I told you so._

He was right. He did tell me so. He told me so every fucking time, but he always had to rub salt in the wound and outdo himself, and just when I thought that he’d let it go, he never did. He was always right. I felt him drag me up the stairs and onto the main deck, nothing but the clear Caribbean waters surrounded us, “Ruby, can you hear me?” He pulled me from my thoughts, trying to keep me from falling. I didn’t answer him, opting to look over the railings of the deck instead. It was beautiful, the sea of aquamarine was painted dark but still held the silver glimmer of the moon. At that moment, I wasn’t thinking about how I could have possibly been roofied or the drowned out mutterings of my nervous boyfriend. All good things come to an end though unfortunately, and I was hastily pulled into our cabin and gently placed upon the double bed. Danny’s fingers came into view as he snapped them in front of my face, “You there?”

“I’m here,” I smiled lazily up at him, eyes glazed over. He put his hand on my forehead, most likely to check my temperature before cursing under his breath and walking away, “What’re you doing, Dan Dan?” 

“You’re so fucking annoying when you’re high, holy shit,” He told me as he handed me a glass of water, “Drink.”

“What’s gotten up your ass?” I laughed, my words bouncing in my mind over and over again as I processed everything, repeating like a broken record, “Whoah, I feel funny, Dan Dan.” I heard him sigh as he pushed the glass into my hand and motioned me to drink. Raising the glass to my lips, I threw my head back, relishing the feeling of the cool liquid run down my throat. When I was done, he took it from me and placed it on the nightstand before helping me lay down and tucking me in, wedging a pillow behind my back so I didn’t rollover. 

“You need to sleep,” Danny ran his hand through my hair, working through the occasional tangle, “Can you do that?”

“Danny, I’m not a fucking child-”

“Could’ve fooled me,” He smiled at my death glare before turning off the lamp. I was greeted by darkness as I felt him kiss my forehead, “Good night, I love you.”

I heard him shuffle about the room as I stared at the wall in front of me, deciding not to say it back. Did I love Danny? He was sweet, but I wasn’t sure. It just didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right to say those words, so I didn’t. I wouldn’t lie to him. My eyes grew heavy as the room spun around me and each breath felt like a chore. The room faded out as sleep finally overcame me.

  
  
  


**xXx**

  
  


“Ruby!”

“Ruby, get up!”

“Please, get up!”

My eyes peeled open and I winced as bright sunlight stung my eyes. Shiloh pulled me out of the bed, tears staining her flushed face. Head pounding, I kneeled beside her on the side of the bed, “What happened?”

The sound of gunshots rang out and a look of terror crossed my countenance as Shiloh cried out in fear. We could hear distant shouting in an unknown language and the screams of the other passengers, “I don’t want to die,” Shiloh whimpered as she held onto me, her voice hoarse and cracked as she sobbed into my shoulder, “I don’t want to die, Ruby.”

“We’re gonna be okay,” I assured her, knowing that there was a high probability that we wouldn’t be. We both froze as we heard footsteps outside the cabin and a cluster of foreign voices. Unlike the screams and the cries, they sounded calm, if not a little angry. Shiloh and I glanced at each other before she pushed me towards the bed and crawled into the closet. I ducked down, fitting myself between the floor and the bed frame. The door was ripped open and three pairs of boots came into vision. They spoke quietly to each other as they made their way across the room and kicked down the bathroom door. I covered my ears as they shouted in argument, not understanding what was going on. I watched in horror as they pushed open the closet door. Shiloh met my eyes as she hid behind a pile of clothes. The men continued to argue before leaving the cabin, the door bouncing against the wall as they slammed it open. Making some room, I beckoned Shiloh over to hide with me. Maybe if we were caught, we could both jump on them. She shuffled a bit before quickly crawling over to me and sliding under the bed.

“We need to get out of here,” She sniffled, her eyes tearing up as she squeezed my hand, “We need to-”

“We need to wait a little longer, okay?” I frowned, turning my head to look at her. I pointed up, “Do you hear that?” She shook her head ‘no’ as she looked at me confused, “It’s quiet.”

“What does that mean?” Shiloh whispered back at me, holding back tears.

“It means that we need to wait a little bit longer. They’ve stopped shooting and people have seemed to stop screaming, so they’re probably dead and they’re looking for the rest of the passengers in the cabins. They’ve already searched ours, but we need to lay low until we’re sure they’re gone, okay?” I held both her hands as we laid there in silence, taking note of every noise. I heard the lapse of waves crash over each other and the creaks of the yacht as it moved above the water. In any other situation, I would have considered it peaceful, but right now it felt sinister. It felt as if the world was mocking me, “Where’s Danny and Luke?” 

I felt Shiloh flinch at my question as she looked at me, “They were taken,” She mumbled, anxiety clear in her voice, “We were getting breakfast in the cafe down below and we were going to bring you back some food, but then these men with guns came and they,” She paused as she got ahold of herself, tears streaking down her cheeks, “They got them. Luke was able to get me out of there,” I hugged her as she hiccuped, “Do you think they’re dead, Ruby?”

“I don’t know, Lolo,” I answered honestly, a slight tremor in my tone. What if they were dead? I never got to tell Danny how much I cared about him, or grow into truly loving him. I never got to say goodbye to Luke. Shiloh interrupted my thoughts.

“What happened last night?”

“I don’t know, I think I was drugged,” I frowned, watching as she nodded. 

“Danny always warned us about that…”

“Yeah,” I felt tears well up in my eyes, blurring my vision. Wiping my eyes, I listened once more, “What do you think?”

“What?”

“Do you think it’s safe?” I watched as Shiloh stopped and concentrated, before nodding at me. Slowly, we both crawled out from under the bed. I winced as the wood of the bed frame hit my thigh, a long, pink scratch left in its wake. 

_Lovely._

I crawled to the window of the cabin, peaking through the blinds. It looked clear. Nodding silently, I held Shiloh’s hand as we slowly opened the door and exited onto the deck. It was still clear. I noticed the white sand beaches nearby and the rainforest in the distance. Could we have been hijacked by pirates? 

No. 

No, that couldn’t be.

Danny had warned us all about pirates before we'd agreed to take this vacation, but we’d disregarded it, blaming it on Danny’s high strung nature. I felt a tear run down my face as I thought about the possibility. I’m so fucking stupid. Why am I so fucking stupid? I pulled Shiloh forward as she stiffened up, probably realizing the same thing. Peaking around the corner to the main deck, I suppressed a gasp as I pushed Shiloh back. 

Several dead bodies were scattered on the deck, red stained the wood of the yacht. People were lined up on their knees and several men wearing various shades of burgundy surrounded them, guns in hand. I saw Danny, his blonde hair thrown haphazardly about and stained brown with dried blood. A man with a mohawk was crouched before him, an AK-47 in his hands, “What the fuck are you looking at, _cabrón_?” The man spat before ramming the back of his gun into Danny’s skull, “Don’t fucking look at me that way.”

“What do you want?” Danny sat back up before briefly catching my eyes. I shrunk back, “Are you gonna fucking kill us or something?”

“Kill you?” The man looked around, laughing, “Oh, I’m not gonna kill you, why would I do that?” He bent down, taking Danny’s jaw in his hand, “What the fuck are you looking at? Hadn’t anyone taught you to look at who you’re fucking talking to?” Throwing Danny’s head back, he stood up, “Do you not respect me? Is that it? Do you think you’re fucking better than me?” I held back a sob as he stomped on Danny, watching as the man threw his head back in sadistic glee, “You’re my bitch. Get that through your fucking head. Now, I want you to be honest with me, can you do that?” He crouched down again, waiting for Danny to respond but his patience wore thin, “Can you fucking do that?” 

“Yes,” Danny croaked out, blood dripping from his mouth as he leaned down to spit out a tooth.

“Good,” The man nodded, “Very good. Now, we’ve counted, you see? There’s supposed to be 32 people on this fucking boat. There are 10 of you lined up here and another 20,” He whistled for effect before continuing, “Shot and dead. You get me?”

“Yes,” I watched as Danny froze up. We both knew what was coming next. 

“I know I’m not wrong here when I say that we are fucking missing two. So, tell me, where the fuck are the last two?”

“I don’t know,” Danny yelled out as the man pistol-whipped him again, “I don’t fucking know, man!”

“I don’t fucking know, man!” The man mocked before smiling wide. He turned to the other men dressed in similar colors, “Get them the fuck off this boat.” 

I watched as the men forced them onto their feet and herded them off the boat, Danny met my eyes once more as he disappeared. Pushing Shiloh away and pointing to the cabin, I glanced back to see the man staring at me, a wolfish grin on his face and eyes wide like a predator, “Go!” I shoved Shiloh farther down the deck as we both ran, heavy footfalls behind us. I screamed as I felt a pair of arms pull me back and yelled as Shiloh looked back at me, horrified, “Fucking go!” 

I was shoved into the side of the yacht and pinned there, the other two men nowhere in sight. Probably trying to catch Shiloh, “You’re a pretty one, aren’t you?” I froze as the voice cooed in my ear. Of course it had to be _him_ , “See you soon, _nena_.”

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Q. What do you think of our protagonist, Ruby? 
> 
> Feel free to comment! I love interaction :)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where the truth reveals itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has about an 18 minute reading time according to Grammarly. There is strong profanity in this, some more intense scenes, depictions of violence, and death. Enjoy :)

_“'Tis his park,_

_where he breeds life to feed him._

_Cries of pain are music_

_for his banquet.”_

_\- Death is the King of This World; George Eliot_

  
  


Pounding.

Relentless pounding. 

Darkness surrounded me and my thoughts were a puddle of sounds in my head, circling like lame ghosts in the confines of my skull. I struggled to get a hold of myself, my mind blank and my heart heavy as I was slowly able to recall what had happened. The yacht, the highjacking, and the man with the scarred face and mohawk; I felt myself stir, attempting to will myself to wake up. 

_Wake up, Ruby_

_Wake up_

_Wake up!_

I felt a sharp kick to my shins and I managed to open my eyes, firelight flooding my vision and the scent of the sea and something I couldn’t place assaulted my nose. My hands were tied up above me and I looked around me, spotting Shiloh beside me and Danny across from me. Danny had kicked me again, lighter this time to get my attention. I watched as his mouth moved but his words fell deaf upon my ears.

“What?” I coughed out, my voice didn’t sound like my own, “What did you say?” 

“Are you okay?” Danny sighed, shaking his head as he looked at me, “Shiloh told me you two hid under the bed. You two should have stayed.”

“How would we know?” I countered, my lips turned down in distaste. I couldn’t help but feel like he was trying to spin it on me somehow, “We couldn’t have known any of this was going to happen. Hell, I’m of half the mind to think that I’m just in some bad fucking dream.”

“Oh, it’s real,” Danny confirmed unnecessarily before continuing, “And I did, I told you so, just like when I told you what happens at parties on yachts when there’s not a real bartender, but you insisted that we went, so we know who’s at fault here.”

_There it was._

“Get the fuck out, Danny. If you knew this was going to happen and let it happen anyways, doesn’t that make you the one at fault? Don’t be a fucking asshole, I don’t need this right now,” I spat out, fed up with his pompous attitude. The thing about Danny was that he came from money, a lot of it at that. The boy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and it showed. He freaked out when he dirtied his pants and he constantly worried about the quality of the things that surrounded him. I’d thought it was cute at first but it was frankly starting to piss me the fuck off. He glared at me, dark green eyes flickering in the light of the flames surrounding us. 

“Excuse me?” He was seething, “How dare you?”

How dare I?

_How dare I?_

“What the fuck do you mean ‘how dare you’? Stop looking at me like I shit in your food. Get the fuck over yourself. You’re blaming me for nothing, Danny. No one could have predicted this would happen to us. If you wanna play the fucking blame game with me though, I will turn it on you every single time.”

“I predicted it!” He exclaimed, exasperated, “I did!”

“Only because you worry about everything! If you constantly think and tell us that something is going to go wrong, you’re eventually going to be right.”

“See, I was right, you admitted it.”

“Only because you fucking say this shit every time. How come we were fine the other times, Danny? Could it be because you were wrong 95% of the fucking time?” I was seeing red, “Could it?”

“Shut up!” Shiloh sobbed, fresh tears running down her face, creating new lines to replace the old ones, “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! We’re trapped in a fucking bamboo cage, I don’t know where Luke is, and you two are arguing? Are you fucking serious?”

“I’m sorry, Shy,” My gaze softened as I offered her an apologetic smile. Danny didn’t give a shit though. 

“I’m not, Ruby is being a bitch.”

“Shut the fuck up, Danny. I’m done with this conversation,” I rolled my eyes, opting to look out the cage. We were held in a clearing in the jungle, it looked like a camp of some sort. I could see the peaking of the water through the trees, we had to be close to the sea. Men in red shirts and dark pants sat around, drinking and laughing with one another. I watched as the one with the mohawk threw his head back in amusement at something that was said before freezing as he met my eyes. He smirked, notably dismissing himself from the group before making his way over to the cage. He stopped directly beside me, crouching down to my level. 

“Looks like Sleeping Beauty is awake. You know of that tale? The bitch that was asleep for fucking years or some shit and then she woke up because of a prince?” His voice was smooth and his accent thick. I looked him in the eye, determined to show that I wasn’t afraid even though I was, “Do you want me to be your prince, _bella durmiente_?” 

_And just like that, all my faux confidence was flushed down the drain._

“Fuck you!” Danny had answered for me, a fire burning behind his eyes. The man laughed. 

“Is this your girl, _cabrón_?” He smiled, his tone was malicious. I flinched as he reached through the cage to trace down my jaw and to the hollow of my neck, his fingers were calloused and felt dangerous as he continued to trail down slowly. I thrashed a bit before wincing as he looked at me. Although it wasn’t a harsh look, I couldn’t help but feel like it was a warning, “Tell me, Daniel. Is this your girl?”

“Yes,” He was trembling in anger, a look of longing in his eyes as he met mine. It wasn’t lost upon the pirate though. 

“Oh!” He let out an obnoxious laugh as he finally retracted his hand. I could still feel the ghost of his fingertips on my throat down to my collarbone as his attention turned to Danny, “Do you love her?” 

“I don’t even fucking know you, man-”

The man banged on the side of the cage in anger, “Fucking answer me, shit! Don’t you know it’s fucking rude to not answer what’s asked of you? I am the king of this island, and I fucking own you, cunt! Do you fucking love her?”

“Yes! Okay?” Danny shouted, watching as the man’s lips curled in a venomous smile, “I love her.”

“What about you, _bella durmiente_?” It took me a few seconds to realize he was talking to me. I looked at him as he stared at me, waiting patiently for my response. 

“What?”

“Do you love Daniel over here?” He pressed, grabbing for my jaw as I tried to look away, “No, no, no,” He sounded as if he was scolding a child, “Look at me when I’m talking to you _princesa._ You’re going to look me in the eye when you answer. Do you love him?”

“I don’t think- I don’t think that’s an easy question to answer. I care about him,” My words were meek as he watched me struggle, only inches away from my face. It would have been more uncomfortable had the cage not been separating us. 

“That’s not what I asked, _nena_. I’m not asking if you care about him, I’m asking if you love him.”

“Yes, I love him,” I lied, my voice cracking. He smiled at me, his grip on my jaw tightened. 

“Are you sure?” He asked, his eyes seemed to scrutinize every microexpression that I was trying to suppress. It didn’t take a genius to recognize that I was nervous though, “Don’t worry, you can tell me.”

“I love him.”

“Stop fucking lying!” He threw my head back in anger, his eyes wide in insanity, “I fucking hate liars!” He grabbed at my face, hitting me lightly as a warning. I tried to wiggle away from him, “You don’t fucking lie to me, you hear me? Now, I’m a nice and forgiving guy, _nena_ , so I’m gonna give you another shot,” _Nice and forgiving my ass,_ I thought, “I’m gonna give you another shot because I like you, _bella durmiente_. I like you. So, let’s try again. Do you love him?”

“No,” I winced as I felt Danny’s cold stare. He let go of my face and laughed. 

“Really, Ruby?” Danny was hurt and guilt pulled at my heart, “Are you fucking kidding?”

“Oh, man!” The pirate laughed, “You’ve hurt him, _princesa_ . Or should I call you _devoradora de hombres_?” 

“I don’t know, Danny! I care for you, but-”

“We’ve been together for over a year!”

“It takes time-”

“It didn’t for me,” Danny’s eyes glassed over and I looked away from him. I couldn’t look at him knowing I was the one who made him feel that way. He didn’t deserve that. 

“What a fucking trip, am I right, Danny?” The man grinned, “Isn’t it great that you two are learning new things about one another?” Danny and I didn’t answer, but the man didn’t care, “I’ll be back in the morning, sweet dreams.”

“Wait!” I yelled after him while he walked away before I could stop myself. I wasn’t prepared when he turned to me and nodded for me to continue, “What’s your name?”

“Are you serious, _princesa_ ?” He walked back towards the cage, but didn’t get as close. He turned to Danny, “She wants to know my name,” The man looked at me, a feeling I couldn’t place lingering behind his eyes, just below the surface, “Do you like me too, _nena_?” 

“I just wanna know… you know, put a face to a name…” I trailed, looking away from him. I hadn’t expected that reaction from him, but he was unpredictable.

“Vaas,” He nodded, still wearing a dangerous smile, “My name is Vaas.”

With that, he left, leaving us in a chilled disarray. No one talked at first, the atmosphere tense and brooding. Danny was the first to speak, “You don’t love me?”

“Danny,” I sighed, “I like you a lot and I care about you, it’s really difficult for me to just let go and love someone. I obviously wanna be with you though because I wouldn’t have stayed with you for so long if I didn’t, so don’t worry, okay?”

Satisfied with the response, Danny nodded, “I understand when you put it that way, I’m sorry for blaming everything on you before. I was just angry.”

“I know, don’t worry,” I smiled at him, nudging him with my boot. I frowned as I saw bugs crawling on the floor of the jungle, “Why didn’t I wear jeans to the party?”

“Because you’re a dumb bitch,” Danny responded, sarcastic. I laughed, smiling at him. 

“Oh yeah, you’re right.”

“What are we going to do?” Shiloh asked us, pulling Danny and I harshly into reality. The gravity of the situation finally weighed down on me. I wanted to hug her, “What is going to happen to us?”

“We’re going to be fine,” Danny answered, sounding unsure himself. 

“How do you know? Where is Luke?” Shiloh was beginning to panic, “Where the fuck is Luke?”

“He’s probably in another cage, Shy. Right?” I signaled for Danny to help me out here. 

“Right,” Danny agreed, “He’s fine if we’re fine, Shy.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Shiloh finally nodded after a moment of silence, “You’re probably right.”

I watched as the pirates seemed to leave the fire they surrounded, Vaas waved at me mockingly as he noticed me staring, “They look like they’re clearing out.”

“Yeah, but there’s still that guy,” Danny pointed out the guy sitting on top of a nearby crate, guarding the cages. He looked tired, “Do you think we’ll get out of here?”

“I don’t know, Danny,” I answered honestly. With the rope around my wrists and the taunting Vaas had put us through, hope felt far away.

“I just hope Luke is okay,” Shiloh whimpered, moving about as she adjusted herself. I nodded, deciding to stay quiet while I tried to kill the bugs that passed through the cage with my shoe. Minutes had passed and the guard was asleep. As if on cue, I heard a whisper behind me. 

“Hey.”

Looking around, I nudged Shiloh and Danny who were on the brink of sleep. They both stirred before looking at me, their eyes lighting up, “Luke!” Danny whispered as he wore a look of shock. I watched as Luke crawled into my peripheral vision. Standing up near the side of the cage, he put his finger to his lips. All of our attention was on him as he snuck towards the sleeping guard before pulling back and stabbing him in the neck. The guard’s eyes went wide as he silently choked on his blood. At that moment I saw it. 

_Hope_

Luke made sure he was dead before pulling a small gun out of the pirate’s waistband and putting it in his own. He ran a hand through his blonde hair before picking up the fallen keys near the man’s corpse and making his way towards the cage. Unlocking it, he cut the rope that held Danny before working on mine, “What happened?” I asked him quietly, not sure if I wanted to know. 

“I ended up escaping when they were throwing us all in cages, I don’t think they expected me to come back though so it worked in my favor,” He nodded at me, brows furrowed in concentration. I rubbed my wrists when they were released from the rope and noted how he moved towards Shiloh with an air of desperation. 

_With an air of love_

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” He told Shiloh as he worked on her rope, “I was so fucking worried.”

“Fuck you, I’m happy you’re okay,” Shiloh argued, crying tears of relief. When he’d finish cutting her rope, she leaped up and hugged him, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Luke hugged her back. I felt Danny’s stare on me at those words and I decided to ignore him at that point. It would be a sore topic for a while, knowing Danny, “We have to go, follow me.”

We crouched down, following as he led us through the camp. There were a few men here and there, drinking and talking amongst themselves. They were guarding the camp. Fear pounded in my head and adrenaline coursed through my veins in a violent chill as we ducked behind various crates, “Do you have a plan?” Danny asked, earning himself a glare from Luke. At that point, I felt like Luke was my spirit animal and I would have laughed at my joke had we not been in such a dangerous situation. 

“Shut the fuck up,” Luke whispered, before turning towards Danny again, “Yes, I do. Now, shut up and follow me.”

He started to move again before he shrunk back behind the wall we were hiding behind. There were people lined up on their knees, Vaas circling them like a wild cat, a blade in hand and a gun strapped behind his back. I felt my heart stop at the sight, my throat closing up. If he caught us we were beyond fucked. After a few moments, we started moving again, ducking under the wood of the platform. They were directly above us now. Spotting the opening between the trees, Luke turned to us, his voice hushed, “When we go, you have to fucking run, got it?” we all nodded in response and I squeezed Shiloh’s hand as she looked to be on the verge of tears. Her grip was iron tight and she didn’t seem like she was going to let go. Time ticked on painstakingly slow as Luke waited for the right moment. Finally, he nodded, “Go!” We all ran, the sound of shouting erupting from behind us. 

_Shit_

_Shit_

_Shit_

We were seen. We were already seen. I pulled Shiloh with me as I felt her stumble and flinched as the sound of gunshots rang out through the darkness of the night. We hadn’t even made it to the shelter of the trees when I felt a sharp pain in my leg. Glancing down, I saw the blossoms of blood drip down my leg and realized that a bullet had grazed me. My eyes grew wide as I felt Shiloh fall, sputtering, “We need to go, Shiloh!” I tried to pull her, her grip loosening. It was then that I’d realized something was wrong. 

“Something wrong with your friend?” I heard Vaas shout, my head whipping around. He stood at the edge of the platform, gun in hand. He’d been shooting at us. His voice was mocking as he tilted his head in amusement, “Oh, fuck! Look at her! Choking on her own blood!” Horrified I looked back down at Shiloh, realizing that Luke and Danny had stopped as well. Shiloh was on her back, staring up at me, eyes glassy. Blood dripped from her mouth as she coughed out more. She’d been critically shot. 

“I feel funny, Ruby,” Tears streamed down the sides of her face as she looked up at me.

“No, no, no, stay with me,” I held her face in my hands, my tears running down my face and onto her own, “Don’t leave me.”

“Don’t worry about me,” She smiled sweetly at me, her voice faint. She was barely alive, “Take care of Luke, okay?’

“No, stop talking like that. We can fix this. We can-”

“I love you,” She interrupted me, her eyes on mine, “Thank you for always being there for me.”

“Shiloh, stop,” I cried out, letting out a pained yell as she stared up at me, unblinking. Shiloh was dead and Vaas had killed her. I felt Danny and Luke try to tear me away and I tried to grab at her, “No! Stop! I don’t wanna go! I don’t wanna-”

“How sweet!” Vaas cooed, hopping down off the platform, his men behind him, “You know what, _princesa_? You moved me. You really fucking did. It was beautiful, how you cried for her and held onto to the very end. That’s why I’m going to give you a chance to run. I’ll even give you a headstart,” He was far away but his words pounded in my ears, “If I catch you though, there will be consequences, do you understand?” 

“You’re fucking sick!” I finally came to my senses, snapping at him. His expression turned sour before he smiled at me again.

“I won’t take it to heart, _nena_. I know you don’t mean that. Now, go!” He screamed at us, watching as we struggled to get ahold of ourselves, “Fucking go you fucking cunts!”

Luke pulled me to my feet before pushing me after Danny, creating a sort of shield around me. We all ran, occasionally tripping over the branches that sat in the way. Following the trail, we ran across a bridge, the sound of heavy footfalls behind us. Nonetheless, we persisted. Climbing up the ledge of a rock, I grabbed ahold of Luke’s hand to help him up, nearly falling in the process. Danny had continued down the path, not even bothering to look back. I tried to ignore the feeling of resentment in my heart but I couldn’t help but feel it flicker in my bloodstream. Leave it to Danny to be a selfish asshole. Pulling on Luke, we ran after him, eventually losing the pirates. 

“We need to find somewhere safe for the night,” Danny turned to us, panting.

“No shit, really fucktard?” Luke growled out, pushing Danny against a tree and getting in his face, “You don’t fucking say, huh?”

“What the fuck is up your ass?”

“You were going to leave Ruby and me at the ledge!”

“I wasn’t gonna leave Ruby! Just you, maybe, I don’t know. I panicked, okay?”

“You fucking little-”

“Can you two fucking stop?” I asked, exasperated. They both turned to me, “We were on a fucking yacht hours ago, from which we were kidnapped and then put in fucking cages that we just escaped from and now we’re fucking stranded on some unknown island, so can you both fucking stop? We’re all in the same boat here and we all need to find a way off the God-forsaken island, okay?” They both were silent, “Now, we need to find somewhere to stay for the night. Come the fuck on you assholes.”

Our search for shelter was silent as we strayed off the path. It felt like at least an hour before we reached an abandoned and run-down little house that resembled more of a big shack, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, “This looks good for now,” Luke voiced my thoughts and Danny looked at him in disbelief. 

“It looks like we’re going to contract some shit if we stay here!” Danny’s stupid brat was coming out. I rolled my eyes before moving past the boys and opened the door. A single mattress laid on the floor and the floorboard of the room were falling apart. I went further into the house to discover a bathroom before peaking out at the boys.

“It’s good,” I confirmed, motioning for them to come in. Danny huffed under his breath as he followed Luke inside. Walking to the bathroom, I checked the sink, smiling as I was greeted by running water, “This place has water too.”

“Thank fucking god,” Luke sighed out before sitting on the floor, “We’ll all take showers in the morning, but for now I’ll keep watch while you two sleep, okay?”

“I’m not touching that water,” Danny hissed in disgust. Again, I rolled my eyes.

“Then don’t, it’s not like we give a shit,” I huffed before collapsing on the mattress, trying to ignore the pungent smell of age and dust that greeted my nose. I heard Danny complain under his breath once more before he joined me, his back turning towards me. 

Minutes had passed when I heard the soft snores of both Luke and Danny. _So much for keeping watch_ , I thought. I turned to lay on my back, staring at the ceiling.

I felt a tear run down my face as it progressed into a full-on sob, memories of Shiloh polluting my mind. 

_Why couldn’t it have been me?_

  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where they lose themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about an 18-minute read and features some violence, death, heavy profanity, and mild sexual assault (groping). Enjoy :)

_ “For me there are neither _

_ locks nor bolts, _

_ whatsoever I desire is mine.” _

_ \- The Master Thief; The Brothers Grimm _

I felt cold. 

It was as if my veins were filled with ice and my heart had ceased to stop. 

My mind reeled as I recalled what had happened. Shiloh was gone. She’d been the best of the group, the good one. She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve any of this.

_ It should have been me _ .

Wallowing in silent self-pity, I sat up and stretched, opening my eyes slowly as I allowed them to sweep over the room. Despite the obvious wear of the house, it looked considerably more appealing when it was bathed in the morning light. I couldn’t believe it had been a day—a whole 24 hours since we were kidnapped. I couldn’t help but wonder if my parents would be worried, in all truth they hadn’t even known I’d gone on this trip. They’d realize something was wrong in a few days when I didn’t return home or call them to tell them I was fine and well, however, we wouldn’t be found either way. My feelings dampened further as I remembered that Shiloh’s parents didn’t know where she was too. Would they ever know what happened to their daughter? I couldn’t help but feel like I was to blame. Luke pulled me from my thoughts as he left the bathroom, the door let out a creak as he exited. He spotted Danny who was still fast asleep beside me and sighed, shaking his head as he placed a hand on his forehead in irritation, “The bathroom is open if you wanna clean yourself up.”

“Thanks Luke,” I smiled softly at him as I got up and walked over him, putting my arms around him in a small hug. He was trying to stay strong, but I knew the thought of Shiloh was hurting him too. My eyes glazed over as he hugged me back tight, shaking, “We’re going to get through this. It’s going to work itself out, okay?”

“For Shiloh,” He pulled away, a couple of tears running down his face as he looked at me. He was quick to wipe them away. 

“For Shiloh,” I agreed, my voice cracking. Taking a deep breath, I nodded at him, “I’ll be quick,” I added lightheartedly, stepping into the bathroom and shutting the shabby door behind me. Looking at myself in the dirty mirror, I frowned at the reflection that stared back at me. Whatever was left of my mascara was running down my face in long lines and my light brown hair was tangled and matted with dirt in various places. I peeled off my dark denim cutoffs and lifted the baby blue tank top off my form, hanging it on the side of the sink. Wincing, I poked at a dark bruise that was budding on my hip, the dark color spread across my skin like watercolor. My skin had a light tan to it from the days I spent on the yacht, doing nothing but serving as a painful reminder of where I was when everything went wrong, forcing me back into reality. Ignoring my thoughts, I slipped off my panties and unhooked my bra before stepping into the shower and turning it on, allowing the freezing water to run down my hair and my back. The water that pooled around the drain was dark and muddy and I couldn’t help but feel grossed out. Leaning back further into the stream of water, I felt the water clear my foggy head; for better or for worse. Thoughts of Shiloh and my family danced around to the melody of gunshots and Vaas’s cruel taunts. 

“ _ Do you want me to be your prince, bella durmiente?” _

__ Nausea settled in my stomach as an overwhelming shudder ran up my spine.

_ No thank you _ . 

There had to be someone else on this island besides pirates. Maybe there was someone who had a phone or something that I could make contact with my family or the authorities. Or, maybe I was already going crazy and being too hopeful, ham fisting false hope down my own throat. Shaking my head, I washed my face, trying to rid myself of the remnants of my makeup. Satisfied, I turned off the shower and attempted to dry off using the side of my shorts before giving up and putting my clothes back on and exiting the bathroom. Danny was awake now, “You look good…” Danny trailed, earning himself an eye roll. 

“Thanks, are you gonna take a shower? It’s not bad. The water is clean and you smell like shit, not gonna lie,” I smiled at him as he glared at me before shaking his head.

“I’m not touching that shit. Unlike you and Luke,” He shot a look towards the blond in who stood in the corner of the room, “I have standards.”

“Suit yourself you fucking princess,” I rolled my eyes again before looking outside one of the windows. I spotted a big lizard in the distance, recognizing it as a komodo dragon, “I fucking hate the jungle.”

“What makes you say that?” Luke stood up, joining me at the window. I pointed to the animal outside, “So what? It’s a fucking lizard.”

“It’s not just any lizard, it’s a fucking komodo dragon.”

“There are no dragons in the fucking jungle, Ruby. Are you stupid-” Danny started, but he was cut off by Luke. 

“She said a komodo dragon, you traitorous dumb fuck.”

“I’m the traitorous dumb fuck?” Danny huffed, stumbling as he tried to come up with a proper comeback. 

“Yeah, that’s what I said, you useless piece of shit.”

“You guys need to chill,” I demanded, trying to get a hold of the situation as I sensed the tension between them. It was clear that it was carried over from the events last night, “Danny was scared, Luke. I doubt he really meant to leave you there for dead, you know? We were all scared.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Luke shook his head, brushing my words off as he paced around the room, “I don’t think we have enough bullets to take care of that thing out there so we’re gonna have to wait until it moves.”

“Fucking pussy,” I heard Danny mutter under his breath, sighing in relief as Luke didn’t react. He probably didn’t hear him and it was a good thing he hadn’t, god fucking knows how he would have reacted. 

Hours of silence had passed between us as we waited for the lizard to go away. I sighed as I tapped on the old floorboards with cherry red nails, watching as Luke stared out the window, his dark eyes moving back and forth as he scanned the perimeter, “Hey, Ruby. Come here,” He waved me over, “I need your opinion.”

“What about my opinion-”

“Shut the fuck up, Danny. Stop being so sensitive,” I scolded as I joined Luke by the window. I didn’t even have to look back at my boyfriend to know that he was pouting, “What is it?”

“Do you see anything?” Luke and I raked our eyes across the clearing, trying to decipher any movement and outlines of terrifying lizards or worse. I shook my head.

“I think we’re good.” 

Luke nodded, looking back at Danny, “Do you know how to hunt?” 

“The fuck do I look like to you? That's all you fucking army brat."

“Right.”

The sun hung high in the sky, signaling it was the afternoon. I turned to the boys, rolling my eyes as they scowled at one another, “I think we should get moving. Try to find some sign of sane civilization at least. Maybe they’ll have a way to get into contact with people that can help us back home, or at least a way off this fucking island.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Luke agreed, slipping the machete into a makeshift holder on his leg that he’d fashioned from a piece of fabric he ripped off his shirt. Danny hadn’t made any effort to move, “Come one, Danny. We should get going now while it’s still light out.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Danny laid there, expressionless, “It’s not safe out there.”

“And it’s safe here?”

“Danny, you were the one that didn’t fucking like this place,” I pointed out, exasperated, “What the fuck has gotten into you?”

“I got smart,” Danny argued, his eyes wide in anger. 

“You’re losing it, oh my God,” My brows furrowed as I approached him, “We can’t stay here, Danny. This isn’t a debate, we have to keep moving.”

“Let me stay here,” He practically begged, “Just for another day or two.”

“Why?” My tone was sharp as my patience was quickly draining, “Why the fuck do you care so much all of the sudden? Give us one good reason.”

“I’m tired of running,” My heart broke a little as I heard Danny whimper, his tone quiet. I took a few steps towards him, my gaze softening, “I don’t want to run anymore.”

“That’s impossible though, Danny. We’re gonna have to move eventually, they’re gonna come after us,” I sighed, sitting next to hip on the mattress and running a hand through his light hair as I looked him in the eye, “We have to go, Danz.”

“Can we stay for a bit longer at least? Just for another day,” Danny started to sit up, his back resting against his elbows, “Please, Ruby.”

I looked at Luke, a question behind my eyes. He frowned and nodded, sighing as he gave in, “Fine, we can stay for one more day. That’s it though,” Luke shook his head and glanced out the window, “I’m going to go hunting though. We need to eat. We won’t be able to leave if we're fucking starved to death.”

“Are you using your knife?” I stood up, pulling away from Danny and moving towards Luke, “If you are, can I have your gun?”

“Why?” Luke looked at me suspiciously, rightfully so given our situation and everything that had happened to us within the last day, “Are you mentally okay enough to be trusted with a gun?”

“Are you?” I countered, watching as his lips turned down and he nodded in understanding. Reaching behind him, he pulled his gun from the waistline of his pants and handed it to me. I grabbed it, the gun cool against my fingers. Shoving it into the waistline of my shorts, I nodded at him, “Thanks.”

“Keep it away from Danny,” he whispered to me before hugging me. I gave him a worried smile when we pulled away. The idea of Danny with a gun was almost more terrifying than Vaas.

“Be careful, okay?” I watched as he opened the door and left the house, sending me a smile before disappearing into the rainforest. I lingered at the window, staring after Luke in concern and anxiety. Looking behind me, I frowned as Danny laid back down, completely at a loss with himself before turning back to the window, watching the movement of the trees. Despite the danger, the island was beautiful. Colorful birds decorated the large leaves of vibrant envy, large flowers splattered about the scenery in the most aesthetic of ways. I pivoted around on my heel, walking back towards Danny and laying beside him, “You want to talk about anything?”

“Like what?” Danny huffed, his tone childish, “Oh, like how fucked up this whole thing is or like how Vaas’s hands were all over you last night?”

“Excuse me?”

“You didn’t even do anything!” Danny’s voice raised as he turned to me, “His fucking hands were all over you and you didn’t even say anything. How fucking could you? And oh, you don’t love me? What the fuck is that about?”

“I already told you, Danny,” I sat up, trying to calm myself down before I snapped at him, “I care about you and I really like you. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be together. What is so hard to understand about that? And suddenly you’re mad at me because I didn’t insult that fucked up piece of shit of a man when he put his hands on me? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“At least Shiloh loves Luke.”

“Shiloh is dead!” I felt tears run down my face as we stared at each other, guilt smeared across his face, “Shiloh is fucking dead and this is what you’re talking about right now? Are you fucking kidding me?”

Danny was silent as I got up, his expression unreadable. I stalked over to the other side of the room, my whole body heating up as anger consumed me. Sliding down the wall in the farthest corner, I ran my hands across the rugged floorboards. I felt a prick as my fingers curled around a sharp rock that sat wedged between two boards. All the pent up anger that welled up inside of me spiked as I heard Danny mutter under his breath, his words slicing at my heart. I quickly stood up before chucking the rock at his face, hitting him square on the forehead, a small cut left in its wake, “What the fuck was that for?”

“What the fuck did you just say?”

“I didn’t fucking say anything-”

“What the fuck did you just say about Shiloh?” I screamed at him, glaring at him as he fumbled around with his words. 

“It’s her fault she’s dead!” Danny repeated, sitting up completely now as he tried to match my glare, “She was too slow! It was necessary-”

“Shut up!” I interrupted, “Shut up! Shut up! Stop talking! Fuck you!”

“Ruby, calm the fuck down, you know I didn’t mean it! Hear me out, please-”

“I don’t want to hear anything from you!” I slammed the shabby bathroom door before sliding down the wall, trying to silence the sobs that threatened to escape. I couldn’t be doing this. I had to be strong. Closing my eyes, I threw my head against the wall, the pain vibrating through my skull. I felt numb to it, however. A single thought repeating in my head, as if it was taunting me into an early grave.

_ Why couldn’t it have been me? _

_ Why couldn’t it have been me? _

_ Why couldn’t it have been me? _

Hours had passed before I was calm enough to join Danny in the room again. He was silent as I walked past him, looking out the window. I half expected the sky to be painted a bright orange, but instead I was greeted with twinkling stars and navy skies, “Luke hasn’t returned?”

“No,” Danny spoke after a few moments, the air tense. He wasn’t over their argument, but neither was I, “Do you think he’s okay?”

“I don’t know…” I was getting worried now, the crickets were starting to sing. As if a direct response, Luke came stumbling out of the trees. I quickly pulled open the door and shut it behind him as he walked in, the entire half of an animal in his arms. Blood dripped down his pants and stained his shirt, his face white as a corpse, “Are you okay? You look pale.”

“I-” Luke stumbled with his words, before dropping the carcass on the floor. I’d realized how hungry I was a few hours prior, but it got to the point where I could hardly feel it and the sight of the dead animal was making me sick. I patiently waited for him to explain himself, sitting down beside him on the mattress.

“What happened?” I asked again. Danny grunted beside us in irritation.

“He’s getting blood on the fucking mattress!”

“I was bit,” Luke winced as he pulled up his shirt, a nasty bite above his hip. Dark veins pulsed up and down his sides and blood from the gash continued to drip down. Horrified, I ripped part of his shirt and ran to the bathroom, using the cold water from the old faucet to wet it before returning and applying pressure to his wound. I felt him wince beneath my hands. 

“What the fuck did that?” Danny crawled over to us, gagging as he saw the wound.

“I was able to grab a hold of a goat and kill it, but a komodo came after me. I got away, but it bit me.”

“Shit, Luke,” I cringed as more blood gushed out, “It bit you in a really bad fucking place.”

Danny leaned over my arm, “Where did it bite him?”

“Right above his liver. It’s so fucking deep, shit. Oh my god-”

“That’s not all though,” He continued, panting as he spoke, “I saw pirates.”

“What?” Danny was the first to react, his voice cracking in fear. 

“Yeah, they’re…” He paused to catch his breath, “That guy is with them and they’re tracking us.”

“We need to go,” I frowned, staring at the remains of the goat, “We can take some cuts from the meat and cook it when we’re safe. How far away were they?” 

“They’re close,” Luke winced again, trying and failing to stand up.

“We need to leave him, Ruby. He’s as good as dead,” Danny hissed, already getting up to go. He was standing for the first time that day. 

“I’m not leaving him here!” I hissed back, completely fed up with my boyfriend’s selfishness. I don’t know what the fuck his problem, he was going insane right before my eyes. 

“Fine, I’m fucking leaving. Give me the gun,” Danny stood up straight, holding his hand out to me. I stared at him, “Give it to me!”

“No fucking way! You want protection, you fucking pussy?” I pulled Luke’s machete from his holder and gave it to Danny, “There. You’re not the majority of this group though. You don’t get the fucking gun.”

“You’re just going to let me go?” Danny looked at me in disbelief, “You’re going to regret this, Ruby. You’ll wish you chose to stay with me. You’ll wish you loved me back,” He was rambling like he was fucked in the head. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was damaged that bad, “I love you.”

I purposely refused to look at him as he walked out the door, turning my attention back onto Luke. I helped him adjust himself, propping him up against the wall as he sat on the mattress, “You should’ve left with him.”

“No, I would never do that to you. Besides, we went off the trail, you know? Hopefully that throws them off a little bit, right?” 

“You’re a fucking angel, you know that?” He looked up at me, dark eyes teared up in pain and suffering. I sent him a smile that was etched with worry before turning back to his wound. 

“I’m going to check this, okay?” I warned him before I took a real look at it. It was worse than I thought and I was almost certain he was bleeding internally. It was even darker in color than before. He would be dead in minutes. 

“How’s it looking?”

“I think you’ll be okay.”

“Ruby,” Luke looked at me, “Don’t spare me, please. I know you want to, but you have to be honest. How’s it looking?”

“Have you seen it?” I suppressed my cries as he shook his head no before motioning him to do so. He nearly yelped out in shock as he moved forward to look at it. 

“I’m going to die.”

“I know.”

“Why aren’t you leaving?” Tears streamed down his face as he looked at me. I frowned, thinking to myself. 

Why wasn’t I leaving? 

“I don’t want to leave you to die alone,” I realized, wrapping my arms around his chest. I felt him shake in fear, sadness, and pain as he hugged me back, burying his face in my shoulder. We sat there for minutes, waiting for the same thing—waiting for him to die. 

“Do you think I’m a bad person?” He asked, his voice cracking and faint. I shook my head.

“No, of course not,” I frowned, “You’re selfless and you’re fucking fearless.”

“Ruby?” 

“Yeah?”

“I’m scared,” His voice was soft now. He was barely hanging on. 

“I am too.”

We sat there in silence once more as he started hiccuping, blood spiraling from the side of his mouth. 

_ Just like Shiloh.  _

“Luke?” I caught his attention, his eyes on mine, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” He smiled at me before everything went silent. 

Everything was silent. 

The crickets no longer sang and his ever slowing heartbeat was gone. I blinked back tears as I slowly got up, unsure what my next move was going to be, but I didn’t have to think too hard as the door was kicked open. I couldn’t catch a fucking break. At the moment, I wasn’t sad. 

_ I was angry _ .

Vaas grinned at me, watching me like a predator as I pulled out the pistol. Tears ran down my face as I glared at him, lips turned down into a deep-set frown. I saw his men out behind him in the distance, guns in hand. I had nowhere to run, but who gave a shit at this point? Nothing mattered now anyways, “Hello,  _ princesa _ ,” He cooed venomously, his eyes on the barrel of the gun, “Let’s put it down before you get hurt, no?”

“Get the fuck away from me!” I cried out, backing away as he approached me quickly, “I’ll fucking shoot you!”

“You’re adorable,” He laughed, “Give it to me.”

“No, I-”

He rushed forward and I pulled the trigger as it was inches away from his chest, pressing my eyes shut. I slowly peeled them open as I didn’t hear anything. Vaas looked at me in rage and disbelief before forcing the gun out of my hands. 

It jammed. 

_ The gun fucking jammed _ . 

“You owe me an apology,” He shoved me against the wall before pinning me there, “Come on, say it. Tell me you’re sorry.”

“I’m-” I stumbled on my words, his glare stabbing into me as he turned my face to look up at him, “I’m sorry.”

“How sorry are you, _ princesa _ ?” He smirked, running his hand down my cheek, “You’ll make it up to me, no?” He grabbed at my waist to bring me closer, ignoring me as I flinched, “Where is your fucking cunt prince? It looks as if fucking blondie is a sack of bones at this point,” He laughed, his face inches away from mine as he studied my face.

“He left,” I whimpered as his fingers trailed down to the small of my back. 

“No boyfriend?”

“No, we didn’t break up-”

“Wasn’t what I asked,” His tongue clicked in annoyance, “You look expensive, you know that? I almost want to keep you,  _ princesa _ . Would you like that?”

“What?” My mind was clouded with anxiety as his hands dropped dangerously low. 

“It’s a shame,” He continued, his hand cupping my ass as I tried to push him away, “Your boyfriend left you alone—all alone on my island. You know what a girl like you is when she’s alone?” Panicking, I shoved him harder and he allowed me to move away, a mischievous smile on his face, “A girl like you is unsafe when she’s alone, did you think I was going to say something else,  _ nena _ ?”

“No, I-”

“Maybe you want me to tell you something else?” He laughed as I looked up at him, terrified. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears. He nodded towards me, allowing me to slip out in front of him before pocketing the gun and shoving me forward, grabbing a hold of my arm, “Vamos.”

“What’s going to happen?” My voice was quiet as he led me through the rainforest and back to the road towards the camp. I heard him laugh obnoxiously, turning to his men who joined him with half the effort.

“She asked what’s going to happen,” He repeated in between chuckles, “We’re just gonna talk,  _ princesa _ .”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing now?” He stopped and turned me around, gently lifting my chin, “We’re talking and then maybe you can just let me go?” 

“Ay,  _ princesa _ . It’s more than that,” Vaas pushed me forward again and poked the gun at my back before leaning towards me and whispering near my ear. I could feel his soft breaths on my earlobe, “Sorry, _ nena _ . It’s necessary, I just have this fucking feeling that you’re a tricky one and you see, I’m not in the mood to chase after you again,” He leaned back, and spoke louder, “If you try to run, I will shoot you in the back of the knee. You know what that’ll do,  _ nena _ ? It hurts like a bitch, I fucking assure you, but most importantly, it’ll break your kneecaps. Then, I’ll make you fucking walk on it-“ 

“Sorry, but do you ever shut up?” I blurted out, flinching as he quickly pulled me back into him, anger radiating from his body like heat from a bright vermillion flame. 

“The fuck did you say? Didn’t anyone teach you how fucking rude that shit is? Fucking bitch. You better learn some fucking manners  _ nena _ or you just might pick the wrong time to piss me the fuck off, you hear?” 

“I said sorry,” I mumbled, my body stiffened as his grip that circled my arm tightened in vexation. After a few moments, he loosened up and pushed me forward softly. He laughed.

“Since I’m such a nice fucking guy, I’m gonna let that one slide,  _ princesa _ .”

_ Nice fucking guy, my ass.  _

It was silent the rest of the walk back, the gun that sat pressed upon the small of my back prevented me from asking any more questions. The familiar sight of cages came into view and I turned around, grabbing onto Vaas, “Don’t put me back in there, please. I can’t do it. I can’t-“

“Don’t like cages,  _ nena _ ?” Vaas chuckled, nodding to the men around him before meeting my eyes, “Sorry, but you’re gonna have to get used to it just a little while longer,” He pushed me into a bamboo cage with two women, shutting it behind us. I zoned out as he tied my hands above my head with a rope, blinking at him as I tried to regain myself, but I couldn’t.

I was sinking. 

“Please, I can’t be here!” Memories of Shiloh and now Luke polluted my conscience, blinding me, “I can’t-“

“Shhh,” Vaas crouched down over me, caressing my face and frowning as I pressed myself against the bars of the cage to get away, “You’ll just have to be here a little bit longer,  _ princesa _ .”

I watched as Vaas left, my sanity temporary fleeting. At that moment, I cried.

“Don’t leave me please…” 

_ Don’t leave me like everyone else. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Q. How long do you think it'll take Ruby to go batshit?
> 
> Q ish. Anyone heard of MBTI?
> 
> Fuck, it's like 1:52 am where I'm at right now lol 
> 
> Anyways, Ruby is slowly descending into insanity but she's still very much her stubborn, impulsive self.
> 
> Poor Luke though :( 
> 
> Two characters explicitly killed off within the first three chapters, this is lovely. 
> 
> Anywaysss, I hope you all enjoyed it! Give me feedback if you have any, thank you so much! :)


End file.
